


Day One: Bed Sharing

by marauderluverz



Series: FANDOM-sphere's AU Yeah August Series 2019 [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU Yeah AUgust (Miraculous Ladybug), Alternate Universe, F/M, Hawkmoth Defeat, Hurt/Comfort, On the Run, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 15:24:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21101690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marauderluverz/pseuds/marauderluverz
Summary: After having been defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir, Gabriel and Nathalie flee and find themselves sharing a bed in a motel. With Gabriel losing hope that he may never be able to save Emilie, Nathalie attempts to comfort the man she loves.





	Day One: Bed Sharing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome to the first story in FANDOM-sphere's AU Yeah August collection. We are excited to share this with you (Even if it is a little late lol) Please enjoy each of the stories and follow us on Tumblr for more updates.
> 
> Thanks!  
~Luci & Emery

**Day One: Bed Sharing**

**written by PaperAndInk (Emery)**

It had been three days since Nathalie and Gabriel had become fugitives. Their miraculouses had been confiscated as soon as Ladybug and Chat Noir managed to subdue them. The shock on the heroes’ faces had been a sight to behold. Chat Noir had looked ill when he laid eyes on them. Nathalie and Gabriel had fled.

Gabriel had barely spoken to her past figuring out their next move. It was a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of the authorities. It was terrifying to think that with one misstep they could be on their way to prison. Gabriel’s money and status could only do so much for him and Nathalie would not have either of those luxuries.

They currently found themselves at a motel where all they had available was a single bed. Nathalie showered and changed first. Not even the hot water and steam from the shower could wash away the stress of being on the run. She put on scratchy pajama shorts and a too large t-shirt. They hadn’t had much time for shopping, nor did they have much available money. All of Gabriel’s assets had been frozen and all Nathalie had was what her brother had offered her before he had asked them to leave his house and never contact him again.

Nathalie sat on the edge of the bed as she waited for Gabriel to exit the bathroom. She thought about where they could go from there. They would have to leave the country. Every path had its obstacles. Gabriel had to have some idea of where they could go. But why was he holding back? Maybe he was in shock. He was still working through the loss of having to suddenly leave everything he’d known behind. Nathalie understood. It was difficult for her also. She truly cared for Emilie and Adrien. She was also leaving her own family behind.

It was twenty minutes before she heard the shower turn off and another fifteen before Gabriel finally came out. By the time he appeared, she had been beginning to worry about him.

He had on sweat pants and a t-shirt that came from the same package as the one she was wearing. He looked very unlike Gabriel Agreste. His hair was messy and unstyled, wearing clothing that came out of a plastic package, and his eyes lacked the piercing confidence that they had previously contained. He looked… lost.

“I… can sleep on the floor,” he offered.

Nathalie shook her head. “We can share the bed. There’s no reason why either of us should be uncomfortable.”

Gabriel hesitantly rounded the bed to the opposite side as Nathalie moved under the covers. He sat down and began placing the two extra pillows between them.

“You don’t need to do that.”

He ignored her and finished before turning off the lamp on his bedside table and sliding under the covers. He rolled onto his side, facing away from her. The walls he put between them felt more and more insurmountable with each day that passed. Nathalie reached over to touch his arm, but thought better of it and retreated. She rolled onto her side, away from him and turned off her own lamp with a click. How was she supposed to breach the boundaries he had built up?

“What’s our next move?” she asked as she took off her glasses and placed them on the bedside table. She heard his own glasses clatter as he did the same.

There was a long silence. She was beginning to think that she was being ignored when he hoarsely bit out, “I don’t know.”

“Well,” She swallowed hard and licked her lips. “What was your plan for if Ladybug and Chat Noir won?”

“I never had one,” he admitted. “I never planned for failure.” He spit out the word venomously. The force of it made her flinch.

Nathalie rolled over to look at him. His back was still facing her, the pillows still in place. It somehow surprised her that he’d never thought about what to do should they fail. But that was his constant short-coming: overconfidence. He put everything he had into everything he did. Most of the time it paid off… Not this time.

She let out a slow breath. It hurt to not reach out to him. Slowly– ever so slowly– she reached over the pillows once again. Her fingertips lightly brushed his upper arm covered by the sleeve of the t-shirt.

“Gabriel…”

“I’ve lost everything,” he said simply. “My wife, my son, my miraculous, my business, my home… Ladybug and Chat Noir have taken all of it from me. I have nothing left.”

Nathalie found herself at a loss. What was there to say? How could she possibly make him feel better after losing so much? Then she heard it, a sob. It was a signal that the dam was breaking. He couldn’t hold in his grief any longer.

She tossed aside the pillows between them and wrapped her arms around his chest. He was shaking with the force of each desperate sob and whimper. Nathalie clung to him tighter, as if she could physically hold him together and keep him from breaking.

“What is the point of going on… when I have nothing left?” he asked.

“Gabriel, no. You have me. You will always have me.”

He didn’t reply.

Eventually, the sobs dissipated. His breathing evened out. Gabriel fell asleep.

Nathalie didn’t let go. She held on, praying that he would find the strength to continue on. And if he couldn’t, if he had no hope left within him, then she would have to have enough strength for the both of them. She buried her face in his shoulder and held back the tears that burned behind her eyes.

“I love you, Gabriel. I will fight for you until the end and beyond… no matter what.”

The next morning, they moved on, staying one step ahead.


End file.
